Athletic shield or guard



Feb. 21, 1933. w. P. WHITLEY ATHLETIC SHIELD OR GUARD Filed March 7, 1932 4v I/ENTOR: -W/LL/AM RWH/nm/ Patented Feb. 21, 1933 oNiTEo STATES messes PATENT org es WILLIAM P. WHI'ILEY, OF CLAYTON, MISSOURI, ASSIGN OR TO RAWLIIIGS MANUFAC- TURING COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI ATHLETIC :SHIELD on GUARD Application filed March 7, 1932. Serial No. 597,290."

This invention relates to athletic shields or guards of the type that consist of a substantially rigid or inflexible protecting element of approximately concavo-convex shape in cross section, combined with anon-stretchable element that absorbs the shocks or blows to which said protecting element is subjected when the shield is in use.

In manufacturing such athletic guards, or

shields it has heretofore been the usual custom to form the protecting element from hard fibre that is pressed or molded to shape, and

form the non-stretchable element from a piece of webbing, canvas or other suitable fabric stretched taut across the inner side of the protecting element and having its ends attachedto the protecting element by thread stitches. One objection to athletic shields of the type mentioned is that they are cumbersome and bulky, owing to the fact that the fabric piece is stretched taut between the terminal ends of the curved protecting element, and thus holds said protecting element a considerable distance away from the users body. Another objection is that the needle holes or perforations which are formed in the brittle piece'of fibre to receive the thread stitches weaken the terminal portions of the fibre piece to such a degree that said terminal portions are very liable to crack and break o'if after the shield has been in use for some time or in the event the protecting element of the shield is subjected to an exceptionally hard shock orblow.

My invention has for one of'its objects to provide an athletic guard or shield of the general type mentioned, which is constructed in a novel manner that insures the protect- 40 ing element of the shield lying comparatively. close to the users body, thereby producing a close fitting shield that is not as cumbersome and bulky as the prior athletic shields or guards of-this general type.

Another object of my invention is to provide an athletic shield or guard of the general type mentioned, in which the protecting element and the non-stretchable. shock absorbing element are combined in a novel manher that eliminates the possibility of the ter-- protecting element illustrated my invention embodied in a kidney guard or shield that is adapted to be positioned in a pocket in a hip and kidney pad or in a pair of footballtrousers, I wish it to be understood that the particular purpose for which the shield is used and the particular shape of the protecting element of the shield are immaterial,

Figure 1 of the drawing is a perspective View of a hip and kidney pad equipped with kidney protecting guards or shields constructed in accordance with my invention. v

H Figure 2 is a perspective view of my improved guard; and

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the guard, taken on approximately the line 33 of Figure 2.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates the preferred form of my invention,

A designates the belt portion of a hip and kidney pad of the'kind used by football players, and B designates kidney shields or guards that are arranged diametrically opposite each otherin casings or pockets formed in the will be formed from hard fibre that is pressed or molded so as to form a substantially oblong-shaped member that is curved, bowed or crowned slightly intermediate its ends, although anymaterial having suitable characteristics may be used to form the'protecting I element l without departing from the spirit of my invention. The guard also comprises a non-stretchable element 2 that is formed from canvas, webbing or any other nonstretchable fabric which is of such a nature hat when it is combined with the protecting element 1, said non-stretchable element will be held in a taut condition by the resiliency of the protecting element 1, and will 1 function as a shock-absorbing device to absorb the shocks or blows to which the protecting element is subjected when the shield is in use.

The non-stretchable element 2, which, for convenience, 1 will refer to as the fabric piece, is provided at its ends with pockets3 that are produced by folding or doubling over the fabric, and then securing said folded portions together by thread stitches 4, or in any other suitable way. The overall length of the fabric piece 2, after the pockets 3 have been formed, is less than the overall length of the protecting element 1, which, for convenience, I will refer to as the fibre piece. Said fibre piece 1 and fabric piece '2 are combined by inserting one end of the fibre piece in one of the poclrets 3 of the fabric piece, and then pressing the terminal ends of the fibre piece towards each other sufficiently to permit the other end portion of the fibre piece to be inserted'in the other pocket- 3 of the fabric piece 2. :Whenthe pressure is removed from the'terminal portions of the fibre piece 1, said piece will tend to spring back or resume its former shape, and in so doing, will draw the fabric piece 2 taut and hold it in such a condition that when the shield or guard is in use, the fabric piece 2 will function as a shock absorbing device to absorb the shocks and blows which the protecting element 1 is subjected to.

By referring to Figure 3 it will be noted that the intermediate portion of the nonstretchable element 2, which is relied upon to absorb the shocks or blows on the protecting element 1, is not stretched taut across the terminal ends of the protectingelement 1, but, on the contrary, is located within or on the interior of the curved protecting element approximately mid-way theterminal ends and the crown of said element. Accordingly, when the shield is in use the end portions of the substantially rigid'andinflexible protecting element 1 will partially embrace the part of the users body which the shield is designed to protect, and the crown of said protecting element will lie comparatively close to the part of the users body protected by the shield. This is advantageous, in that it makes the shield snug fitting and less cumbersome and bulky than prior athletic shields or guards of this general type. Moreover, as the end pockets 3 of the fabric piece 2 constitute the means for joining said fabric piece to the fibre piece 1, there is little liability of the end portions of the fibre piece cracking and breaking off, as frequently happens with shields in which the non-stretchable shock absorbing device is secured to the fibre protecting element by rows of stitches that extend transversely across the entire width of the terminal portions of the protecting element.

The tension under which the fibre piece 1 and fabric piece 2 are maintained eliminates the possibility of the fibre piece pulling out of the end pockets 3 of the fabric piece, but if desired, the two elements 1 and 2 of the shield may be permanently attached together by anchoringdevices 5 inserted in the end portions of the fibre piece and the pockets 3 that embrace same. In the form of my invention herein illustrated the anchoring devices 5 above referred to consist of rows of stitches located within the marginal'edges of the fibre piece 1, and preferably disposed so 1 that they extend inwardly and downwardly from the upper corners of the shield, as shown in Figure 3. In addition to permanently locking the end portions of the protecting element in the pockets 3 of the shockabsorbing device of the shield, said stitches cause the inner walls of said pockets to lie flat against the protecting element, with the result that the end portions of the protecting element are disposed at approximately obtuse angles to the taut portion of the element 2 that is relied upon to absorb the shocks and blows on the protecting element. Various other anchoring means may be used, but even users body over which it isarranged, and the substantially rigid protecting element of the shield is not apt to'cut through the fabric casing in which itis positioned, due to the fact that the end portions of said protecting element are completely housed in pockets 3 formed of webbing, canvas, or similar mate rial.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: V

1. An athletic shield o guard composed of a protecting element of substantially concavo-convex shape, a shock absorbing device arranged transversely across the inner side of said protecting element, and a means for combining said shock absorbing device with the protecting element and holding said device taut, consisting of pockets attached to the ends of said device and having the terminal portions of said protecting element positioned in same.

2. An athletic shield or guard composed of a curved protecting element that has some resiliency, and a transversely-disposed shock absorbing device at the inner side of said protecting element that it held in a'taut concition by the resiliency of said protecting element, said shock absorbing device being formed from apiece of non-stretchable fabric provided with integral portions which it constitute pockets that encase the terminal portions of said protecting element and cause said element to be held under a slight tension by said fabric piece.

3. An athletic shield or guard composed of a substantially rigid protecting element of curved shape, and a transversely-disposed shock absorbing device on the inner side of said element that maintains said protecting element under a slight tension and which in turn is held taut by the tension of said protecting element, said shock absorbing device comprising a central portion located Within said protecting element substantially mid way the terminal ends and the crown of said element, and pockets attached to the ends of said central portion and having the terminal ends of said protecting element positioned in same.

4. An athletic shield or guard composed of a protecting element of curved shape, and a piece of non-stretchable fabric arranged transversely across the inner side of said protecting element and provided at its ends with pockets in which the terminal portions of said protecting element are encased, the length of said fabric piece being less thanthe length of said protecting element and being adapted to be combined with said element by flexing said element and inserting the terminal portions of same in said pockets whereby said fabric piece will be held taut by the pressure which the protecting element exerts on said pockets.

5. An athletic shield or guard composed of a protecting element of curved shape, and a shock absorbing device for said protecting element stretched taut across the inner side of same at a point some distance inwardly from the terminal ends of said protecting element, said shock absorbing device bein formed from a fabric piece provided with integral pockets that encase said terminal ends and exert pressure on same in a direction to hold the protecting element under a slight tension, and stitches inserted in said pockets and in the terminal ends of said protecting element for causing the walls of said pockets to lie flat against said terminal ends.

WILLIAM P. WHITLEY. I I 

